Have It Your Way

Written for Song Lyric Sunday –
“Celebrating International Burger Day”
This is my response to the challenge.

This week at Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday, the theme is “Celebrating International Burger Day”. Our challenge is to write about a song dealing with grass, cows, beef, condiments, fries, or fast food. I wrote my post for this challenge two days ago and it wasn’t until Saturday night that I learned the title of Jim’s theme. Once I knew the title, I gave serious thought to changing my intro, but I put too much work into it, so here goes.

Now, I’ve come to know our friend Jim fairly well and I think I have figured out how his brain works when preparing some of these challenges for Song Lyric Sunday. So, I did a little research and discovered May is National Hamburger Month here in The States and May 28 is National Hamburger Day …. yet another holiday we Americans are so fond of, as our dear UK friends like to remind us. 😉

Taking a look at Jim’s challenge words, I used my incredible powers of deduction and came up with the following: cows eat grass, beef comes from cows, burgers are made with beef and are served at fast food places with fries and condiments. How’d I do, Jim?

Since it’s practically summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, let’s grab our burgers & fries and head outside for some fun in the sun. Don’t forget the radio! Who’s with me?

First up this week is Jimmy Buffett. Truly, is there a more ubiquitous track about hamburgers than Buffet’s classic, “Cheeseburgers In Paradise”? Here, the beach bum god croons over easy breezy guitar lines about one of his greatest loves (ostensibly followed by margaritas) …. the cheeseburger. Buffett waxes poetic about the various ways that he loves burgers, contrasting his love for the food against vegetables and healthier meals. With the line “but that American creation on which I feed,” he makes the consumption of burgers sound downright patriotic! Buffett’s charm is in the simplicity of his desires that his greatest conflict is in determining the best sides and drinks. To that end, his appeal is understandable: just a guy that wants a good burger and fries.

This is “Cheeseburger In Paradise” by Jimmy Buffett

LYRICS

Tried to amend my carnivorous habit
Made it nearly 70 days
Losing weight without speed, eating sunflower seeds
Drinking lots of carrot juice and soaking up rays
But at night I’d have these wonderful dreams
Some kind of sensuous treat
Not zucchini fettucini or bulgur wheat
But a big warm bun and a huge hunk of meat
Cheeseburger in paradise
Heaven on Earth with an onion slice
Not too particular, not too precise
I’m just a cheeseburger in paradise
Heard about the oldtime sailor men
They’d eat the same thing again and again
Warm beer and bread, they said could raise the dead
Well, it reminds me of the menu at a Holiday Inn
But times have changed for sailors these days
When I’m in port, I get what I need
Not just havanas or bananas or daiquiris
But that American creation on which I feed
Cheeseburger in paradise
Medium-rare with mustard’d be nice
Heaven on Earth with an onion slice
I’m just a cheeseburger in paradise
I like mine with lettuce and tomato
Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer
Well, good God almighty which way do I steer
For my
Cheeseburger in paradise
Making the best of every virtue and vice
Worth every damn bit of sacrifice
To get a cheeseburger in paradise
Get me a cheeseburger in paradise
I’m just a cheeseburger in paradise
I like mine with lettuce and tomato
Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer
Well, good God almighty which way do I steer?

^{Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Jimmy Buffett / Putnam}

Another rock anthem, one with a solid groove, is Todd Rundgren’s “Boogies (Hamburger Hell)” which turns the spirit of Jimmy Buffett’s song on its head. The central character in the song visits a buffet whereupon he eats, among other things, burgers. As such, Rundgren offers up a dissertation on consumerism through the lens of a restaurant. Lines like “You might as well stuff yourself, they’ll only throw it away” fill the song with a cynical ennui. Rundgren’s words hit a nerve and his concerns have been addressed through various restaurant interventions that (allegedly) reduce food waste. Still, while his point stands, so does his delicious description of a burger …. a sumptuous treat that any meat lover can’t ignore.

This is “Boogies (Hamburger Hell)” by Todd Rundgren

LYRICS

Beefsteak Charlie says to porky the pig
“I can see the party lights
Someone’s throwin’ a bash and it sure looks big
Down at the slaughterhouse tonight.”
Say, let’s get together and hit the buffet
You might as well stuff yourself
They’ll only throw it away
Old colonel sanders says to Elsie the cow
“Golly, baby you’re the one
Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce
Pickle, cheese, onions on a sesame seed bun.”
Say, we just got time for a roll in the hay
Might as well stuff yourself
They’ve come to take you away
I know where you’re going, I can tell
Don’t go looking for me down in hamburger hell
Don’t misunderstand me, I wish you well
Don’t go looking for me down in hamburger hell

^{Songwriter: Todd Rundgren
Lyrics provided by Musixmatch}

My final song for this week’s challenge is by Texas blues rockers ZZ Top who have built a decades-long career out of turning the bluntest innuendos into rock songs. That trend continues here with “Burger Man,” a goofy but no less entertaining number that is either about a grill cook flirting with pretty girl or a burger-loving man who is literally turned into a hamburger. ZZ Top’s burgers are a metaphor for something highly coveted and longed for, making this a silly but fun and popular addition to any list of songs about food, especially the great American burgers!

This is “Burger Man” by ZZ Top

Celebrating International Burger Day

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week and every week. Be sure to follow his link and check out his site.

Thanks for stopping by and listening to some great music. I hope you enjoyed the theme for this week as well as the information and songs I featured.

That’s all she wrote, kids. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2026

^{Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicated. Thank you for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.}